They said it wouldn’t last. And, well, it didn’t. After less than a year, ”Bachelor” vintner and tire heir Andrew Firestone and Jennifer Schefft have broken up.

In a statement released to the TV show ”Extra,” Firestone declared the split amicable, adding that ”though we care for each other deeply, we have come to realize that our future goals are different.” Schefft added: ”Our love for each other was genuine, but we confronted the same challenges as any other couple trying to make a relationship work day-to-day.”

Maybe we should have seen it coming. In an interview three months ago, Firestone told ”Extra” he found it difficult ”going from being very independent people to having somebody there.” As for Schefft, she complained about the ”extra pressure” of building a relationship in the public eye.

Of course, it probably didn’t help that the couple never seemed to have time alone: Even when Schefft moved in to Firestone’s San Francisco apartment, her fiancé’s roommate didn’t move out. The couple also spent time at Firestone’s family estate in northern California.

Firestone can take comfort in knowing his break-up follows in a grand ”Bachelor” tradition: Previous serial daters Aaron Buerge and Alex Michael also gave their first picks the heave-ho. Let’s just hope Firestone held on to runner-up Kirsten’s phone number.